So I'm in the process of retooling the purpose of HFF. Without having decided anything specific just yet, I think it's going to involve more frequent and much shorter posts, focusing on trying to give you quick breaking news or my short takes on events and articles in the food/wine/restaurant world. Fewer restaurant critiques, still some long-winded diatribes.
In the mean time, check out this commentary on one of the NPR blogs.
While I appreciate the author for taking Alice Waters' hegemony to task, I am disappointed that he so off-handedly dismisses the idea of local eating. In fact he conflates being a "locavore" with the real target of his contempt, California Cuisine. Locavorism is just eating food that is grown/produced within whatever arbitrary rule you decide (most say 90 miles) a reasonably noble objective. California Cuisine is about using the best local ingredients and preparing them simply. Simple to the point of dull. But there are plenty of restaurants doing weird, wacky, innovative things with food while still using local or regional ingredients.
Case in point, the fabulous lunch I had at Redd a while back definitely was not short on innovation and cross-cultural influences, but it was still made from largely local (or at least California/Pacific coast) ingredients. And of course French Laundry has built a global reputation on its cuisine produced largely from very local ingredients but drawing on diverse classic and modern influences for a wholly unique culinary experience.
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I think that there is a lot of merit in 'local-ism' because as a structure it's based upon season, flavor and execution (and politics).
I have no beef with importing ingredients but cuisine that emphasizes the exotic origin of its elements seems to mis-place consumerist sensibilities ahead of culinary ones.
Culinary excellence doesn't require access to the luxe. Access to luxe ingredients may be an impediment to great cooking. If you're not inspired by superb local products how would you effectively cook with what's choice somewhere else? I believe that the practice of snagging pricey bits from afar often dumbs down cuisine and generates unwarranted self assuredness in chefs.
http://phillymarketcafe.blogspot.com/search?q=f%27en
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